Sarah Palin, Buchananite — Very quickly. Remember when Pat Buchanan ran a number of hard-right, fringe campaigns for president in the late 1980s, 1990s and 2000? Well, guess who was supporting him: — From an AP report in 1999: … In fact, [a very committed Buchananite] …

Exclusive: Chief Fired by Palin Speaks Out — The July firing of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan by Gov. Sarah Palin, who was announced as John McCain's running mate on Friday, has unearthed a stream of soap-opera-like details about Palin, her husband, her family and top state appointees.

Cold Water on Palin — Both the pros and the cons are pretty obvious. I'm going to focus on the cons, mostly because conservatives right now seem to be paying them less attention. — The pros: She's a pro-life conservative reformer from outside Washington, and a woman.

PALIN A HUGE HIT AT THE CLINTON FORUM.— You would not believe how the Sarah Palin pick is playing out at the Hillary Clinton Forum (tip to a VC commenter). In order, these are all the posts on the first (and only) page I've looked at (page 8 of the Palin thread; this link may not point to exactly the same posts).

An Astonishingly Arrogant V.P. Selection — It may be John McCain's birthday, but it seems like he's the one giving out gifts today. The selection of Palin doesn't simply, as others have pointed out, undermine the notion that Obama is too inexperienced to be president …

Gallup Daily: Obama Stretches Lead to 8 Points — PRINCETON, NJ — The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds Barack Obama moving to an eight percentage point lead over John McCain, 49% to 41%. — Obama's significant lead over McCain almost certainly reflects the effects of the Democratic National Convention.

Palin dissed veep job — If Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin got the job as running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), count her as one of the most surprised. — In an interview just a month ago, she dissed the job, saying it didn't seem “productive.” — In fact, she said she doesn't know what the vice president does.

What is McCain Thinking? One Alaskan's Perspective. … “Is this a joke?” That seemed to be the question du jour when my phone started ringing off the hook at 6:45am here in Alaska. I mean, we're sort of excited that our humble state has gotten some kind of national ‘nod’....but seriously?

Palin on Iraq — Make of this what you will: — I, frankly, have no idea what she's trying to say here. Apparently the McCain campaign didn't think it was important to brief her on their Iraq policy before she did an interview with Time — UPDATE: Apologies, I misunderstood …

Did Palin Really Fight The “Bridge To Nowhere”? — Republicans have been heavily touting Sarah Palin's reformist credentials, with her supposed opposition to Alaska's “Bridge to Nowhere” as Exhibit A. But how hard did she really fight the project? Not very, it seems.

60 Days To Judge a Commander in Chief? — I'm going to be very blunt, here. I wish Senator McCain a very long and happy life. But, at age 72 with a history of cancer, John McCain may not live through his first term, if elected. That would make Sarah Palin our Commander in Chief.

Palin — The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me. And I increasingly doubt that it will prove good politics. The Palin choice looks cynical. The wires are showing. — John McCain wanted a woman: good. — He wanted to keep conservatives and pro-lifers happy: naturally.

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